By GEORGE MORSE
Sports And Outdoors
Los Alamos Daily Post

March looks like it’s going to be a month of change in more ways than just winter to spring. The weather is changing right along with the seasons. After a winter of cold temperatures with a new weather system rolling in every week, temperatures are rising above average during the day. Where we used to be calling to see if the ice is thick enough to fish on, we now call to ask if there is enough open water to fish from the bank.

The streamflows will start to rise, but the peak of spring runoff is still at least a month away. The landscape will slowly turn greener thanks to the moisture we got this winter. By the end of the month, fruit trees will start blooming. The white and pink flowers of apricot and plum trees will be visible across the landscape and along the roadsides. 

It will be time to get a new fishing license, as the current year will end. April 1 will begin the new 2023-2024 season. The winter stocking of trout in Southern New Mexico waters will end and the emphasis will shift to Northern New Mexico.

The Bureau of Land Management manages Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area near Chimayo. It will be open 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. The fishing should be good for stocked rainbow trout and some wild brown trout. It was stocked March 2 with 4,026 rainbow trout. Overlook Campground will reopen April 15. For updated conditions, check the Bureau of Land Management website or call (505).351.1438.

The Bureau also manages the Orilla Verde Recreation Area along the Rio Grande at Pilar. Camping is on a first-come basis. No reservations. The Rio Grande streamflow was 563 cubic-feet-per-second at Taos Junction Bridge. This is higher than last week and just below normal. The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked Feb. 17 with 1,999 rainbow trout. There are some big, wild brown trout. Northern pike are caught on big streamers in the Pilar and Taos Junction Bridge areas during the winter.

The Rio Grande at Pilar was stocked Sept. 14 with 58,484 fingerling Rio Grande cutthroat trout.

From the Colorado state line downstream to the Taos Junction Bridge, the limit is two-trout-per-day in the Rio Grande. The Rio Grande Gorge above Pilar was stocked Jan. 23 with 188 rainbow trout.

Fenton Lake State Park is open for camping. Lake is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Camping by reservation only. It is heavily-stocked with rainbow trout. It also has some wild brown trout and some Rio Grande cutthroat trout from earlier stockings. It was stocked Feb. 21 with 1,496 rainbow trout. Only two cutthroat trout may be kept as part of the five fish daily limit at Fenton. It is frozen. It is now open for ice fishing at your own risk. For more information call (575).829.3630.

The Rio Cebolla, which flows into and below Fenton Lake, was stocked Oct. 20 with 399 rainbow trout.

The fishing has been good in the Jemez River. The streamflow is 33.8 cubic-feet-per-second. This is higher than last week and just below normal. It has wild brown trout. It was stocked Feb. 1 with 1,001 rainbow trout.

The Rio San Antonio, a tributary to the Jemez River near La Cueva, was stocked Oct. 6 with 749 rainbow trout. 

The Rio de las Vacas, another tributary, was stocked Oct. 20 with 500 rainbow trout.

These smaller tributaries are frozen over, as is San Gregorio Lake.

The Seven Springs Brood Pond, also known as the Kid’s Pond, is open. The fishing is for anglers 11-years of age or younger. It was stocked Oct. 20 with 449 rainbow trout. It was stocked Dec. 12 with 217 catchable-size Rio Grande cutthroat trout. The limit is three trout-per-day. It is frozen.

Eagle Nest Lake at Eagle Nest State Park is now open for ice fishing. It was stocked April 19 with 82,237 fingerling kokanee salmon. A new state-record kokanee was caught at Eagle Nest last year.  Kokanee are occasionally caught ice fishing.

Ice fishing should be good for rainbow trout, yellow perch and northern pike. It was stocked Dec.15 with 7,839 sub-catchable rainbow trout. For more information and current ice conditions, call (575).377.1594.

The Cimarron River in Cimarron Canyon State Park is likely frozen over and fishing difficult. The streamflow below Eagle Nest Dam was 1.74 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a little lower than last week. The Cimarron River near the town of Cimarron is iced over. Check the Carson National Forest website to see if campgrounds are open.

The Cimarron Gravel Pit Lakes at Maverick Campground were stocked Oct. 12 with 399 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 60 rainbow trout averaging 16.1 inches in size. They are likely frozen over now.

Lake Maloya at Sugarite Canyon State Park near Raton is now open to ice fishing. Lake Alice, also at Sugarite State Park is closed due to thin ice. Lake MaIoya was stocked Dec. 27 with 1,312 catchable-size rainbow trout. Call (575).445.5607 for current conditions. 

Clayton Lake closed Oct. 31 for the season. It reopened Wednesday, March 1. The state-record walleye was caught here and it is heavily-stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked March 1 with 3,001 rainbow trout. Call (575).374.8808 for conditions.

Heron Lake State Park is now open for ice fishing. The ice was checked Monday and is 10-inches thick. The boat ramps are closed. The lake level is still low. It was stocked April 20 with 147,290 fingerling kokanee salmon. It was stocked June 27 with 40,006 sub- catchable-size rainbow trout. 

Call (575).588.7470 for conditions at both Heron Lake and El Vado Lake.

El Vado Lake State Park has rainbow trout, brown trout, perch and small smallmouth bass. Lake surface is closed due to freezing. Boating is closed. The Dam Day Use Area is closed for construction. Water level is low. The banks are very muddy. Try fishing at the north end of the lake where the Chama River comes in.

Bluewater Lake State Park is open. Camping is allowed by reservation only. Lake water level is low. Currently, the lake is beginning to freeze. The lake surface is closed and going on to the ice is strictly prohibited. Tiger muskies were being caught and the fishing for them was fair using big crank baits, spinners and hot dogs. The limit on tiger muskies is one-per-day at least 40 inches in length. It was stocked Feb. 16 with 2,000 rainbow trout. The trout fishing should be good until the stockers are caught or eaten by tiger muskies. Call (505).876.2391 for current conditions. 

Morphy Lake State Park closed Oct. 31 for the season.

Storrie Lake State Park near Las Vegas is open for bank fishing. Boating is closed. It was last stocked June 7 with 3,034 rainbow trout. It also has some big catfish. It is frozen over.

Pecos Canyon State Park is open. In the Canyon, the river has refrozen and streamflow was not measured. There is some open water. The streamflow at Anton Chico is 63.5 cubic-feet-per-second which is above average. The fishing has been fair-to-good for rainbow trout and brown trout. The Pecos River at Villanueva State Park was stocked March 1 with 500 rainbow trout.

Monastery Lake near Pecos was stocked Dec. 5 with 250 rainbow trout. Ice fishing is not allowed at Monastery Lake. The lake was frozen and closed to fishing. 

Over in the Four Corners, Navajo Lake State Park is open. Camping is by reservation only. Trolling minnow-imitating lures like Rapalas could produce a trophy brown trout. Fishing for northern pike has been fair. Bank fishing near the salmon run is fair for rainbow trout. It was stocked April 20 with 219,027 kokanee salmon fingerlings.  It was stocked Jan. 30 with 43,794 sub-catchable rainbow trout. Boating conditions are good. Call (505).632.2278 for conditions. Navajo Lake does not freeze.

Aztec Pond #1 in Aztec was stocked March 1 with 78 rainbow trout. Tiger Park Pond in Aztec was stocked Oct. 25 with 149 rainbow trout averaging 19.2 inches in size.  It was stocked again March 1 with 1,251 rainbow trout.

Lake Farmington was stocked Feb. 27 with 2,398 rainbow trout.

Popular fishing locations on Carson National Forest  include the Canjilon Lakes, the Trout Lakes near Cebolla and Hopewell Lake between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla. These are high-elevation lakes that are now frozen.  

The roads to the Trout Lakes and Canjilon Lakes are likely snowpacked and difficult to travel. Hopewell Lake is close to Highway 64 and may be accessed by hiking in or by snowmobile. 

The campground at Hopewell Lake is now closed. The ice fishing has been good for stocked rainbow trout and wild brook trout.  US Highway 64 has been reopened. Please be aware that this road may close during hazardous winter driving conditions. Check nmroads.com for road conditions.

The Rio de los Pinos near the border with Colorado is also reopened for camping and fishing. It was stocked Oct. 13 with 1,798 rainbow trout and also has wild brown trout. It is likely icing up and is hard to fish.

The best river in the state and well-known throughout the angling world is the San Juan River below Navajo Dam. The streamflow here is 311 cubic-feet-per-second. This is slightly higher than last week and way below normal. The San Juan offers world-class fly fishing for big trout.

The fishing has been good with a variety of fly patterns in the four miles of Quality Water below the Dam. The fishing here is catch-and-release with flies and lures having a single, barbless hook. There are big, wild brown trout in the Quality Water. Some of these fish would likely shatter the state record if they could be kept and weighed. The Quality Water was stocked Feb. 21 with 33,090 sub-catchable rainbow trout.

The fishing in the Bait Water of the San Juan below the Quality Water has been fair-to-good with flies, bait and lures. A regular daily limit of five trout may be kept here. There are some big brown trout here too. It was stocked March 1 with 1,853 rainbow trout.

The following locations are also open for fishing.

Abiquiu Lake is open, including the boat ramp and picnic areas. Camping is open. It is managed by the Corps of Engineers. Reservations may be made at www.recreation.gov. The water level is low, but higher than last year at Abiquiu. Some areas with ice, but also some areas of open water. A four-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for launching boats. The fishing has been slow for walleye, catfish and smallmouth bass. There are some good-sized trout in Abiquiu. They may have moved into shallow water. Call (505).685.4371 for more information. 

The Chama River below Abiquiu Dam is flowing at 76.4 cubic-feet-per-second. This is a little higher than last week and below normal. It was stocked March 2 with 458 catchable-size rainbow trout. The fishing is likely fair for stocked and holdover rainbow trout. There are a few big, wild brown trout here. The limit here is two-fish-per-day.

Streamflow in the Chama River below El Vado Dam was 97.1 cubic-feet-per-second. Fishing may be difficult due to floating ice. The state-record brown trout was caught here.

Above El Vado Lake, the streamflow on the Chama River at La Puente was not measured due to ice.

Cochiti Lake has reopened. The fishing has been fair-to-good for northern pike. Fishing for catfish could be worthwhile. Tetilla Peak Recreation Area is open, but the campground is closed.

Tingley Beach in Albuquerque is now being stocked with rainbow trout. It was stocked Feb. 28 with 1,403 rainbow trout. The stockings will continue throughout the winter. 

The winter stocking of trout has begun in the drainage canals of the Albuquerque area, The Albuquerque, Albuquerque (South), Belen, Bernalillo, Corrales and Peralta drains were stocked last week. 

The Red River below the Fish Hatchery is flowing at 47.6 cubic-feet-per-second. This is slightly lower than last week and a little above normal. It was stocked Feb. 17 with 700 rainbow trout. The Red River above Questa is iced over. 

The Red River Hatchery Pond is likely frozen.. It was stocked Oct. 17 with 401 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 50 rainbow trout averaging 16.8 inches in size. Fishing is for anglers 11 years of age or younger and 65 years old or older. The limit is three-fish-per day.

Eagle Rock Lake near Questa is open. It was stocked Oct. 31 with 501 catchable-size rainbow trout and with 60 rainbow trout  averaging 16.5 inches in size. It is frozen over. Ice should now be safe. Use caution.

Cabresto Lake, a small, high-elevation lake accessible by four-wheel drive vehicle near Questa, has good ice fishing for wild brook trout and wild cutthroat trout.